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Topic: Lionhead Studios purchased by Microsoft (Read 4025 times)
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Trippy
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Posts: 23620
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From the BBC: Microsoft snaps up UK games guru(Sorry for the choppy paragraphs, that's just the way the BBC formats their articles) Microsoft has snapped up one of the UK's leading figures from the world of video games, Peter Molyneux.
The veteran game maker is best known for inventing the god game genre, where players control all that happens.
The purchase of Mr Molyneux's Lionhead Studios is part of Microsoft's efforts to secure exclusive titles for its new console, the Xbox 360.
"What we love about Peter is the innovation he brings," said Microsoft gaming division head Peter Moore.
The news brings to an end speculation about the future of Lionhead Studios in Surrey.
Last month, Mr Molyneux laid off 50 people, a fifth of the staff, and scaled back future projects.
The cuts followed disappointing sales of his two most recent games, Black and White 2 and The Movies.
"This acquisition gives Lionhead the stability and opportunity to focus on creating world-class next-generation titles," said Mr Molyneux.
Taking risks
Some of the giants of the games industry, such as Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, were reported to have been interested in acquiring Lionhead.
But Microsoft has emerged as the victor, adding the studio to its roster of British gaming talent. In 2002, it acquired developers Rare in a $375m deal.
"We are delighted about this," Mr Moore told the BBC News website. "Not least is the fact the Peter Molyneux is probably one of the most accomplished game developers in the world.
"What we were looking for is a developer that can touch the nerve of a gamer.
"We are not afraid to take a risk. With Peter Molyneux you have someone who is able to push the boundaries."
No details are available about the games Lionhead will make for Microsoft.
But it seems likely that one of them will be a sequel to the role-playing game Fable, which Lionhead produced for the original Xbox and has sold more than two million copies worldwide.
As well as making games for the Xbox 360, Lionhead games are also expected to appear for the next version of Windows, called Vista.
Console wars
Mr Molyneux brings considerable kudos to Microsoft as the software giant seeks to compete against Sony and Nintendo in the world of game consoles.
Microsoft released its next generation console, the Xbox 360, late last year. Sony's PlayStation 3 is due out by the end of the year, as is Nintendo's Revolution games machine.
Mr Molyneux has been a pivotal figure in the British computer games industry for almost 20 years, and was made an OBE last year.
His career started at Bullfrog Studios which in 1987 produced Populous, one of the first god games.
The title gave players control over the lives of a small population of computerised people.
He left Bullfrog in 1997 to set up Lionhead Studios which was behind the ambitious and widely acclaimed game Black & White.
His most recent games were a sequel to Black and White, as well as The Movies, which let players run a Hollywood studio and create their own films.
But both PC games sold poorly, despite widespread critical acclaim for The Movies.
Mr Moore explained how Microsoft was not going to put pressure on Lionhead to play it safe when it came to future games.
"We are not going to try to bracket them into churning out a shooter," he said.
"Peter is willing to take a risk and do things differently. We will support that."
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Trippy
Administrator
Posts: 23620
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Hopefully this will work out better for Peter than the Bullfrog/EA acquisition. Peter reminds me a bit of Raph (or vice versa since I think Peter's older) -- he has lots of interesting ideas but the implementation of those ideas often fall short. Microsoft Game Studios has a pretty good track record sheparding games through the development process, though, so maybe having some extra "eyes" watching the development of his games will make them even better.
Edit: fixed typo
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« Last Edit: April 06, 2006, 04:45:01 AM by Trippy »
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eldaec
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11841
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The purchase of Mr Molyneux's Lionhead Studios is part of Microsoft's efforts to secure exclusive titles for its new console, the Xbox 360. I have a hard time understanding the point of buying Lionhead in order to make console games. /shrug This seems akin to signing Freddie Flintoff to help win the LDV Vans Trophy. Apologies for the gratuitiously UK-centric reference. |
"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
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Trippy
Administrator
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I have a hard time understanding the point of buying Lionhead in order to make console games.
/shrug
This seems akin to signing Freddie Flintoff to help win the LDV Vans Trophy.
Fable set all sorts of sales records when it was released on the Xbox including selling 600K copies in its first month in the US and currently ranks at #8 on the Xbox best-selling title list. |
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42629
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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If Microsoft forces them to cancel the Movies expansion, I will personally fly to Seattle to cockslap Bill Gates.
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WayAbvPar
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I can give you directions to his house and his office if needed =)
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When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM
Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood
Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
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eldaec
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11841
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Fable set all sorts of sales records when it was released on the Xbox including selling 600K copies in its first month in the US and currently ranks at #8 on the Xbox best-selling title list.
Hmm, well yes, and Ian Botham used to play for Scunthorpe United. I'm not convinced that was a good use of resources either. |
"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
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Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942
Muse.
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Fable set all sorts of sales records when it was released on the Xbox including selling 600K copies in its first month in the US and currently ranks at #8 on the Xbox best-selling title list.
Hmm, well yes, and Ian Botham used to play for Scunthorpe United. I'm not convinced that was a good use of resources either. I don't understand your sentence. Are you saying something good or bad about Ian Botham? DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT IAN BOTHAM! |
My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
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eldaec
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11841
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Saying anything bad about Ian Botham would probably result in my deportation, so it's unlikely that I'll be doing that. But you wouldn't want an all-conquering ashes hero doing this...  ...when he could be doing this...  "Ride the torpedo to the end of the tube-don't bail out." |
"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
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NiX
Wiki Admin
Posts: 7770
Locomotive Pandamonium
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As well as making games for the Xbox 360, Lionhead games are also expected to appear for the next version of Windows, called Vista.
BOO! They'll certainly be Vista only games too. I hate this bullshit. |
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Azazel
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Fable set all sorts of sales records when it was released on the Xbox including selling 600K copies in its first month in the US and currently ranks at #8 on the Xbox best-selling title list.
How many of those sales were the result of morons (like myself) being suckered by relatively minor things like the paid 11-page blowjob that IGN gave it? And the X-Box isn't exactly hugely served by high-profile RPG-ish titles either.. there's what? KOTOR1/2, Jade Empre, Fable. Then on the lower tier there's Sudeki which I only recall because of the anime boobies, and no idea what else... |
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